Stocks: 4 things to know before the open

Good news for the global economy could set the tone for markets Wednesday after China turned in a stronger than expected performance in the second quarter.

"Chinese GDP came in better than expected, which diminishes the fear factor of the global economy faltering," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital.

Here are the four things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:

1. China GDP: The world's second biggest economy grew by 7.5% compared with the same period last year, despite continued worries about a slowdown in real estate. It was the first time the economy has accelerated in three quarters, putting China on a somewhat better footing to reach its official growth target of 7.5% for 2014.

3. Stock market movers -- Time Warner, Intel, IBM, Apple, Yahoo: Time Warner(TWX) shares surged 14% in premarket trading following a New York Times report that Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox (FOXA)made a $80 billion bid for the media company in recent weeks but was rebuffed. (Time Warner is the parent company of CNNMoney.)

Shares of Intel(INTC, Tech30) rose by nearly 5% premarket after the company posted earnings that beat expectations and announced plans to boost its share repurchase program by $20 billion. Shares of both IBM(IBM, Tech30) and Apple(AAPL, Tech30) were also nearly 2% firmer in premarket trading after they announced they would join forces to offer iPhones and iPads preloaded with special software developed by IBM.